


NYX

by VexKokuryuu



Series: The Canopy of Worlds [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gods and Goddesses, M/M, Multi, Pantheon - Freeform, kitchen sink - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-21
Packaged: 2019-10-30 15:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17831120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VexKokuryuu/pseuds/VexKokuryuu
Summary: When Nyx runs away from home she ends up being taken in by Dr. Myrian, a scientist who uses those she picks up as scientific experiments. Sent down into the General Population she ends up in a whirlwind adventure with betrayal, love, and magic. Will she make it out alive? Or will something worse happen?





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize if this is bad

The night was pitch black with no moon. The stars twinkled overhead. It wasn’t too hot and it wasn’t too cold, a nice summer night and perfect for the person who was hidden in a large tree. The tree was a distance from the house, sitting in the center of an expansive garden that looked well taken care of. A breeze carried the familiar scents of home and a childhood long passed. They breathed in deeply as nostalgia flooded their system, but then focused on the target in front of them. It was a mansion. All brick with large bay windows it stood four stories tall and was a place of both happiness and fear. There was only one light left on, and it was the one for the master bedroom. As soon the light went off and they dropped from the tree and stealthily made their way to the door that led to the basement. The soft sound of keys knocking together could be heard as they pulled them from their pocket and unlocked the door. They entered and input a code into the alarm on the wall next to the door. After that was done they felt something brush against their leg; it was a fluffy orange kitten. Simba. A wave of sadness hit them. They knew they would not be able to take him.  


The girl, breaking into her own house, was Nyx Diane Sempré. Her father had found out she was a panromantic asexual. The pain from the bruises still radiated from her abdomen with every movement. Now she was back to take some things she would need. After all, it was still technically her stuff. She reached down and picked up the kitten that she had gotten for her twentieth birthday two days ago. Making her way upstairs and to the room that used to be hers, she could picture the sleepovers she had with her friends. Running through the halls and giggling. Always when her father was away. Always. It was a distance away from the door to the basement, but that had been the most inconspicuous place she could think of to enter without being caught.  


The house was much larger on the inside than it appeared, and everything that was displayed was meant to show off her father’s success. He had worked his way up through the ranks of the accounting company he now owned and he wanted everyone to know that he was better than them. This, of course, meant Nyx had a private education. There was one wall that had a display case full of trophies and awards that Nyx had received from the age of five, most of them academic. She paused and gazed at them, her throat tightened and her eyes were beginning to water, knowing that school was about to become harder without an actual place to live or the financial backing.  


She shook her thoughts from her head, now was not the time to reminisce. She continued down the long dark hallways before she came to the mahogany door that led to her room. Pushing open the door she was met with familiar gray walls with purple accents and lights. Setting down Simba she moved to her walk-in closet. She pulled out two duffle bags and began to collect what she would need: Clothes, hygiene stuff, two pairs of nice running shoes, her hiking boots, almost $4,000 in cash, and toiletries. She set her school bag alongside her winter coat, knowing she would probably need it when it got colder. Next, she pulled out a case from under her bed. This case held an assortment of knives which she also placed in one of the duffle bags. They were laid in carefully and neatly. She ran her finger over one of the blades, a happy and sad memory was associated with this one. A single tear escaped down her cheek. The last thing she wanted was to damage them, especially this one.  


After she double checked that she had everything she went to the kitchen. She left her bags in the hallway and pushed open the door only to be blinded by a bright light. When her eyes adjusted she was shocked to see her mother standing in the center of the room. Once her mother saw her she ran over and pulled Nyx into a bone-crushing hug. She tilted her head and gazed at her with a calculating look.  


“I’m so sorry. I never thought your father would kick you out like that,” her mother practically sobbed, “and I knew you’d come back so I waited until your father fell asleep.”  


“If you didn’t want him to kick me out why didn’t you say anything?” Nyx questioned, a hint of anger in her voice.  


“Your grandmother is sick, and your father currently holds all of the money. If I had I would have been kicked out too and then my mom would have died. You have to understand.”  


Nyx was conflicted. She was angry that her mom was that selfish, but at the same time, she understood why she hadn’t done anything. She pulled out of the hug and gave her mother the cold shoulder as she moved around the kitchen, collecting non-perishables. She had brought in her most empty bag and stuffed them in there.  


“Goodbye, mother.” With that, she left her home for the last time. Walking out to the garage she pulled out the keys to her car, got in, and drove away as fast as she could. The road was open and freeing. Wind from the open window caused her hair to whip around a bit but the scent of the night allowed her muscles to lose tension. An idea came to mind, somewhere to go where there would be wifi. Her school. She parked close and used their wifi to try and find somewhere cheap she could stay until she had a job to afford a better place or a roommate. The only ones she could find were homeless shelters, and none of them were close by. Maybe a motel wouldn’t be a good idea, but they would eat up the money she had and fast. A sigh escaped her lips and her head dropped to the steering wheel. That was when she remembered that there was a large abandoned house not too far from here. Grinning in triumph she drove there right away.  


She pulled up to the old, worn house that faded into the backdrop of the pitch black forest. Parking, she grabbed the duffle bags from the back. She walked up the rickety stairs to the front door, which was open just a crack. Pushing it open and coughing slightly at the dust, she pulled out her phone and used it as a flashlight. It was covered in cobwebs. It wasn’t the ideal place but it would work for tonight. There was a serious debate going on in her head of whether or not she should ask her friends if she could stay at their places. Nyx had never been a fan of cobwebs and she would get covered in them if she stayed here. Creepy and completely disgusting, she cringed at the very thought. However, she didn’t want to worry them. Looks like she was staying here. She would go out and buy cleaning supplies for tomorrow. She went to one of the rooms and found that it had an old mattress. She did her best to dust it off before placing her sleeping bag on it, crawling in, and falling asleep.  



	2. Entry of the General Population

The sound of the door being opened was what roused her from what she supposed one could call sleep, though not Nyx, seeing as it was restless and still left her feeling exhausted. She glared through hazy vision at the figure that stood in the doorway. She could only assume that it was Dr. Myrian. It had been a mistake to trust this woman when they met, but Nyx was desperate to get off the streets and into a nice, warm house again. She suspected that that was how the good doctor got most of her so-called projects. Nyx blinked a few times to clear up her vision and was not surprised to find that her hypothesis was right. Myrian stood in the doorway with a bright, happy smile that contrasted greatly with the cruelty she was capable of. The younger girl shifted and let out a hiss which seemed to make Myrian even happier. Her back was sore and raw, and her bones had spent the whole night shifting to accommodate the new fifteen-foot dark purple wings that were perched on her back.  


“I’m glad to see such positive results from yesterday's splice. It seems you’re fully compatible with the new wings I have given you.” Doctor Myrian strode forward and gently lifted a wing to examine it, earning another hiss from the dark purple haired girl. “They’ll be sore for a while but I’m sure they won't hurt too bad after today’s splice.” Myrian smiled brightly, her tone too cheery.  


Nyx glared at the woman and was tempted to try and rip her throat out with the new fangs she had oh so graciously been given the day before yesterday thanks to the vampire DNA she had gotten spliced with her own. However, she knew better than to underestimate who was examining her wings. The doctor's green eyes were filled with happiness and were concentrated fully on the examination. If they were under different circumstances Nyx may have found her aesthetically attractive, but she knew the darkness in her heart and it ruined everything.  


Maybe that had been the reason Nyx had gone with Doctor Myrian in the first place. She had been kind and gentle, and whether it was a romantic attraction or Nyx’s desire to regain the motherly figure in her life she did not know. What she did know was that she had made a mistake and it was costing her dearly. For weeks she had been the subject of constant splicings, and she had lost track of all the different DNA that had been spliced with hers. She knew some of it was from mythical creatures, which she found ironic because of how much she had wished to be one, and the rest were other animals. It made her stronger, faster, and much more perceptive than before. The only thing that kept her from killing Doctor Myrian was the shock collar that sat around her neck.  


Her wing was gently laid down and then a hand was extended to her. She carefully took it and was slowly pulled to her feet.  


“Now, I want you to at least move your wings. It doesn’t have to be fast I just need to know you can move them.” At her full height, the top of Nyx’s head barely reached the doctor’s shoulder. The doctor had told her that if she wasn’t so cute she would have made her taller, but Myrian seemed to love her at 5’2. Fiery, starburst blue eye met with unwavering green and Nyx silently obeyed as she dropped her gaze. She cringed as she moved them, her original bones still adjusting to the new ones that had come with the wings. The more the wings were shifted around and moved the more her muscles and bone began to adjust and loosen. This allowed for her shoulders to relax.  


Myrian clapped as she became more comfortable. “Well done! It was a good idea to give you that advanced healing ability.”  


Nyx would, unfortunately, have to agree with her. Without that ability, she would have died long ago. Some days she wished she could just die, after all, anything would be better than being experimented on and used for the rest of her life like she suspected she would be. She was a monster, and it applies to both people in the room. “What torture will you be putting me through today?” 

Nyx folded her wings neatly and stared at her with a blank expression.  


“Now now, that’s no way to talk about the gifts I give you. But since you asked, I will be giving you a tail to help stabilize your flight and movements when you run and jump from place to place. I might also integrate some more DNA from another mythical creature or two.” Myrian seemed to contemplate the last part but it was all for show. Once she thought to do something she would almost always go through with it. When she didn’t get a reaction she frowned and her tone changed to one of annoyance, “let’s go.” Today would be painful.  


They walked down the long hallways, passing many unused rooms. Screams issued from some but from others a deathly silence. The scent of antiseptics and other chemicals permeated the air, it was worse than a hospital. The walls were a cheery blue accented with white and photos of the different things she had done to her patients were on the wall. These were the ones who had survived and had been introduced into the general population, something Myrian had told Nyx she would be entering soon. She wasn’t looking forward to it as she had heard the alarm go off that a fight had broken out an average of seven times a day since she had been brought here. That and Myrian would sometimes complain about losing a patient more often than made her comfortable and almost always after the alarm went off.  


They stopped just outside a large steel door. This was it. Nyx took a deep breath as the door swung open slowly and noiselessly. In the center of the room was a chair that greatly resembled one on death row. The walls covered in freezers with different DNA and blood samples. The room itself was rather warm. Nyx walked into the room and undid the strings that held on her gown. She sat down on the chair, the steel cold against her bare skin, the scars from other splicings visible now that there were no clothes to hide them. Myrian strapped her down and began preparing the DNA she would be needing: snow leopard, cheetah, dragon, fennec fox, and black phoenix. She was doing more to her than Nyx thought.  


“Okay so let’s go through what I’ll be doing today. I’ll be mixing the cheetah and snow leopard DNA for your tail to give you a good balance. The dragon DNA will give you its form and powers over fire, the same with the black phoenix but its power is over black fire. I also figured I could complete your animal look by giving you some animal ears too! You know for the aesthetic! I’m sure the others will love it when you get to the general population.” Nyx remained unresponsive. Doctor Myrian’s cheery attitude had come back and she began to hook up several machines to her and smiled wryly, “I hope you’re ready.” She switched the machines on and pain seared through Nyx’s body. She held back a scream. Black fire traced its way across her body before taking her over completely and she let out the scream she had been holding back.  


The fire and pain began to die down and she was surprised she hadn’t passed out. The machines were turned off. She felt something new and opened her palm allowing for black flames to dance across it. Myrian nodded, wrote down the results in a leather-bound notebook she kept in the room and loaded the machines with the cats’ DNA. The genes were already isolated and ready to go. Once finished she switched the machines on again. This time the pain flared up only across her lower back and didn’t last as long nor was it as intense. The machines were turned off and reloaded again with the fennec fox DNA. Doctor Myrian had to change the coloring code of the DNA to match it to her hair and wings. It was quite an interesting thing, to now have ‘natural’ purple hair. It was silly but that was how Myrian had gotten Nyx down there in the first place, and now here she was all because she wanted her hair to be permanently purple.  


The machines were switched on for, what she hoped was, the final time that day. Nyx’s skull erupted in pain and she jerked forward before slamming her head back into the chair and letting out a blood-curdling scream. Myrian simply watched, not even attempting to keep Nyx’s head down as it was slammed back again. The machines were switched off before she could do any more damage and she was panting. The doctor undid Nyx’s straps and caused her to slip out of the chair and onto the floor. She couldn’t stand on her own. Myrian wheeled over a wheelchair and moved her in it before taking her back to her room.  


“It’s only 10 so I’ll be back in a couple of hours with lunch. I hope to see some improvements by then.” She was pushed into her room and then left there. The wound on her head had already healed. She could already feel her bones and body changing to accommodate the features that would be fully formed within 24 hours. She was used to the pain by now, so it wouldn’t be too bad. She opened her hand again and allowed the black flames to crawl across it. Maybe she could use these to escape, after all the shock collar couldn’t be cut or pulled off but maybe it could be burned off. She tried to lift her arm only to find that it wouldn’t move. Damn. Maybe there was a way to control the flames. She focused and willed them to move. And move they did, only she had no control over the stream of fire that shot from her hand and directly into her face. She yelped and jolted, the chair bumping into the wall. She closed her hands and the fire disappeared. She was surprised there was no pain and no burning smell. Of course, dragons and phoenixes are fireproof.  


The next two hours were filled with her regaining movement and playing with her fire. At first the fire burned whatever it touched that wasn’t her skin and the only things she could summon it with were her fingers. Eventually she regained feeling in the rest of her arms, then shoulder, neck, and torso. Her legs were the last to regain movement. She hadn’t even noticed the pain that was a result of her tail and ears that were growing. By the time Myrian returned with lunch Nyx was sitting on her bed controlling a ball of fire and bouncing it against the walls, much like a bouncy ball, without causing any more scorch marks as she had earlier. Myrian was surprised by the quick progress, but that was how Nyx had been with any ability she had been given. The young girl stopped what she was doing and glared at her, the fireball disappearing. A silence fell upon the room so thick one could cut it with a knife. They simply stared at each other before Myrian sat the tray down and left the room. The smell of steak filled her room. That was new. Usually, she got simple meals like a sandwich.  


There were a few moments where she didn’t move, studying the container on the tray. The contents smelled safe enough, but even with her healing abilities, she was still extremely cautious of everything. She stood from her bed and walked over to it. She opened the styrofoam lid, it was steak and it looked perfectly fine. She picked up the knife and fork that had been left for her and cut into it. Blood seeped out of it, the steak was rare but for some reason instead of grossing her out it simply made her hungrier. She put the piece she cut off in her mouth and her eyes widened, this was the best damn steak she had ever had. She devoured it in a few bites, not even pausing to savor it. Once it was gone she finally fully realized what had just happened. The splicing had changed her appetite. After all, she had been spliced with creatures that only ate meat thus far. That explained quite a bit, actually, and left her feeling more than a bit sick. It wasn’t that she hated meat, but the fact that most of these creatures wouldn’t hesitate to eat a human if hungry enough made her worry.  


She sat back down on her bed and looked at her hands. Her fingernails looked a bit more pointed and tipped with black. When had this happened? Could it be a side effect? Was she finally dying? That thought pleased her. Death would be the only escape she had from this place, but she knew Myrian would not allow her to die. She summoned a ball of fire again, it was time to see what all she could do with it. She spent the next several hours making different shapes before Myrian, flanked by two large men who smelled like they had been rolling around in a pig pen, came into her room. Nyx stood quickly, her tail which was now fully grown at three feet, fluffed up and her wings spread out. She was trying to make herself seem bigger, but it was pure instinct.  


“Calm down Nyx, they're not here to hurt you. We are moving a bit faster than expected so I’m going to go ahead and give you the last of the splicings.” Doctor Myrian looked annoyed. She had created a monster and the only way to get rid of him was to create someone stronger. If she hadn’t moved up the timeline she risked losing all of her patients. Nyx seemed to calm and nodded, she still didn’t trust the new guards but she also knew that resisting would be a bad idea. They walked down the hallway to the all to familiar room. The guards stopped outside and the two girls went in. The cool metal of the chair met her bare skin for the second time that day and Myrian wasted no time grabbing several bottles of DNA and hooking up the machines. The doctor hoped that her patient’s body wouldn’t be torn apart by the sudden introduction of all the new DNA. All were placed into the machine, the genes isolated, and then they were turned on.  


Pain radiated through Nyx’s body and an unearthly scream echoed throughout the building that even those far in the underground of the facility who were in the general population stopped what they were doing and looked around, trying to determine the source. The sound stopped abruptly as Nyx lost consciousness from the pain. The machines were kept on for several minutes before being switched off. She was unhooked from the chair and fell haphazardly onto the floor. She was dressed before Myrian brought in the guards and hand one pick her up and carry her back to her room.  


He gently sat her on her bed, her gown hung around her loosely. He could see every curve and dip of her body. He looked down the hallway and shut her door. He would be quick and it’s not like she could stop him right? He carefully undid her gown and slid it off of her, smiling when he saw that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. His fingers traced her frame as he marveled at her. He licked his lips, he wanted to take his time enjoying this. He lowered himself to taste her. This reminded him of his days before Myrian had brought him here. He had been a serial rapist, and his prey of choice were teenage girls. After he was done he moved away before unzipping his pants and pulling her over to him. He started out slowly, enjoying the feeling of having a girl underneath him again, and one who couldn’t fight back at that. Her tan skin soft and smooth underneath his rough fingers. His breath began to come out more quickly and he couldn’t hold himself back any longer and began to pick up his pace. Faster. Faster.  


Nyx’s eyes snapped open, but they were completely gold with only her pupil visible. A wave of power sent him flying backward and into the wall with a sickening crack. Black surrounded her and formed to her body, transforming her into a large black beast as she moved towards the trembling man. He only had time to look up before she was in his face. Drool dripped from her fangs as she snarled at him. She now stood at 9’, completely covered in fur and her tail had become whip-like. Ram horns curled around her ears and pointed out. Her fangs were much like those of a saber tooth tiger, and just as sharp. He let out a pitiful whimper and she sniffed him. As she pulled back a sigh of relief escaped his lips. The relief was short lived as she lunged forward, gripping his throat between her fangs before biting down. Blood sprayed everywhere as his head and body hit the floor separately. She swallowed before tearing apart the rest of his body and eating it.  


All that was left after she was finished was his head. She had even eaten his bones. She drowsily dragged herself over to her bed and laid down. Blood coated her and her bed and she began to shrink down to her more human self, except now she was wearing a black halter top that allowed for her wings to move freely and black shorts. Her tail and ears also still remained along with all the blood. Her fingers remained like flexible talons, pitch black in color and her feet looked more dragon-like and allowed her to comfortably walk on both her full foot and ball. The tops covered in dark purple scales, that matched her wings, with black talons and the bottom now much tougher. She curled up and rested for several hours before Myrian came to get her.  


“What the hell happened in here?!” She screeched when she saw the blood-soaked walls and the head that rested on the floor. Nyx stirred and looked up at her lazily. What was she talking about?  


“What are you talking about? Nothing-” she stopped when she too saw the carnage. Her eyes widened in shock, what had happened in here? “What happened?”  


“I don’t know, why don’t you tell me?” Myrian’s hand rested on her hip.  


“I-I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t.” Myrian didn’t look like she believed her. Nyx had lied about her powers before and if Myrian’s hypothesis was correct the splicing she had just done had worked better than predicted.  


“I guess we’ll just have to check the footage won't we?” She grabbed Nyx’s wing, dragging her from her bed and down the hall to the surveillance room. Myrian tossed her in and Nyx slammed into the desk. Myrian smiled slightly. Nyx hissed in pain before slumping into a chair as the doctor brought up the footage from her room. Both women watched, Nyx in horror and Myrian in glee. Nyx felt her stomach twist before she swiftly moved to a garbage can and threw up. She felt disgusted. Myrian had expected as much from the guard but what she saw next intrigued her. The eye color and the form she took, was it the DNA she had been spliced with overriding her and protecting her? This was very interesting and something she hadn’t seen before but this also made Nyx more dangerous. Exactly what Doctor Myrian needed. She wrote it down on a notebook she pulled from her pocket.  


There was no sound coming from the screens but when Nyx saw that she had actually eaten a person she threw up again. Her legs gave out from under her and she could feel her breath beginning to quicken and her vision was becoming spotty. She was a monster, there was no doubt about that in her mind. To Myrian, however, she was exactly the solution she had been looking for. A monster to fight a monster. She couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face as she watched the monstrous version of the girl puking behind her tear apart the man again and again. The other guard who was still with them seemed unfazed, maybe he knew something like this would happen, or maybe he derived some sort of sick enjoyment from watching this. Whatever it was, Nyx couldn’t tell and his blank expression and calm exterior did nothing to ease her mind. Myrian shut off the video and turned to Nyx who stared up at her weakly as she came closer.  


“Well, my dear, it seems you’re ready to be introduced into the general population. You certainly can’t stay in your room and I’m sure the others will love you,” Myrian smiled with her hands behind her back. Nyx glared at her and tried to stand up, but found that her legs would not support her. ”Looks like we’ll have to give you an extra boost won’t we?” Her smile grew and Nyx snarled at her, her ears pinned back and her tail lashed back and forth. Myrian pulled out a syringe filled with a clear liquid. The guard held her in place as she tried to get out of his grip and the needle was driven into her thigh. She could feel her body seem to regain strength. Adrenaline. The guard still held her as she thrashed, fighting against him more now. She knew that people died when introduced into the general population, but she wasn’t using her full strength. She didn’t want to hurt him like she had the other bodyguard, even if he had deserved it. As they traveled down the hallways she eventually stopped fighting.  


They arrived at a door with a hand scanner next to it and the bodyguard sat her down as Myrian placed her hand on it. The door slid open to reveal many people, all with different oddities. Some of them looked to be quite old while others looked to be as young as six. The thought of young children going through what she had made her blood boil. Myrian could see her anger. Good, she could use it. Myrian pushed her in and the others nearby paused to assess her. She took in the area around her. There were different environments, eight of them from what she could tell. A lush green forest area, plains, a marsh, a redwood forest, a hilly area, river lands, a tundra, and what could only be described as a wasteland. The door she had come in seemed to deposit her in the middle. It looked odd with a long enclosed hallway leading to it, but it worked she guessed. Large rocks sat on the perimeter of each area and the center was flattened down to smooth earth. A blue sun hung high in the air and the scents that each area mingled to create an odd yet satisfying scent.  


She noticed a group of people making their way over to her, and she could feel the malice rolling off of them like a wave from a stormy sea. The largest of the group and the clear leader reeked of blood and death. She turned to face him.  


“Welcome newcomer. My name is Charles, and I’m the head honcho in this place. Anything I say is law, and since you’ve just arrived I shall give you the courtesy of explaining them to you. Since you’re one of the smaller and weaker ones here I can offer you protection,” he smirked down at her, which wasn’t hard to do since she only stood at 5’. She looked down, not wanting to cause any trouble. “Aw, come on now, there’s no need to hide your face. I’m sure we can figure out a way you can take care of paying me for the protection.” He gently lifted her chin. She slapped his hand away.  


“I don’t need any protection, I can handle myself just fine,” she replied with a huff, “and I certainly won't be letting you have your way with me.”  


He chuckled darkly, “Aw, how cute you think you have a choice.” As Charles advanced on Nyx she backed up. Her back met with the cold steel of the wall behind her and she mentally cursed. What now? Of course, how was she that stupid. Just as he was about to grab her fist became coated in black fire and she punched him. He stumbled back, holding his face, and the scent of burnt flesh filled the air. A growl escaped his lips, “You’re going to regret that you bitch.”  


His form began to change. His skin began to peel and in some places, it was replaced by fur, in others it was scales. He grew bigger, until he was twice his height, standing at 12 feet easily. He resembled a giant lizard with patches of fur and large fangs. Saliva dripped from his mouth and began to melt through the floor. His eyes were a disgusting shade of yellow and they look at Nyx with unbridled fury. He lunged at her and she barely managed to dodge and roll out of the way. He slammed heavily into the wall, leaving a large dent in it and snarling. He turned to her again and prepared to pounce on her. His large tail swept back and forth and she prepared to dodge him again. Once again he lunged at her and she dodged. His claws left deep gashes in the steel floor as he went sliding. As they traded blows, Nyx taking no damage so far and Charles being unaffected by any of her attacks, she finally had an idea on how to take him down. As he went after her again she summoned her black fire and shaped it into a large scythe. As she swung it at him the fire consolidated and became an actual scythe. The blade easily sliced through his side and he crashed into the ground with a guttural wail of pain.  


She stared at the scythe in awe. Just what could she do with these powers of hers? Charles shrunk back down and went back to how he normally looked and his lackeys rushed to his side. They carefully lifted him, his side already healing.  


“Hear me well, you’ve made a bad enemy you factionless bitch and I’ll make sure that whatever faction takes you in burns.”  


“What the hell are you talking about?”  


“You don’t even know about factions? Looks like I won’t have to kill you then, someone else will do it for me.”  


“Now why would any faction turn her down? She just effectively kicked your ass. Anyone would be glad to have her, but since I’m the only one here it seems I have first dibs.” The sly sounding voice came from Nyx’s left. She turned and found a young man walking toward them. He had long grey hair that was styled over the left side of his face that was covered in scales that also went down his neck and presumably the entire left side of his body. His storm grey eyes danced with mischief, as though he knew more than the people who stood before him. Next to him stood a dark skinned girl, no older than eight, her dark brown wry hair was pulled back into a tight bun. She had wings that are a dull greyish brown, with erect dark broadish postmedian stripes. The forewings have a subbasal, erect, slightly oblique dark line angled below the costa and there are four hyaline spots below each other, as well as a fifth-minute one near the angled line. The hindwings have three small hyaline spots below each other and two smaller ones below each other nearer the base. The posterior margin and long tail are rather darker than the rest of the wing. A Eudaemonia argiphontes, though how Nyx knew that she was unsure. That type of moth was commonly found in Africa. Myrian had a sick sense of humor.  


“Farrow, of course, you’re the one who showed up. Doesn’t Orthrus have enough problems with the other factions already? I’m sure you don’t need to make Demolition your enemy as well,” Charles sneered. Nyx looked between the two curiously.  


“Orthrus can easily handle Demolition, seeing as we’ll have her on our side to simply crush you again,” Farrow smirked as he stopped a few feet away, “what do you say, miss? Will you join the Orthrus faction?”  


“And why should I join any faction? If all of you are like him I’d rather not.” The scythe disappeared from her hand and her other rested on her hip.  


“Farrow,” the girl from his side called up to him, “I don’t think Doctor Myrian told her anything before she was put in her or else she would have accepted Charles’ invitation the moment he offered it.”  


“Hmm, I suppose you’re right. Well in that case, why don’t you come with us? I’m afraid that if we stay out in the open any longer the other factions may take this opportunity to attack us.”  
Nyx looked skeptical, but she was rather curious to find out just what was going on down here. She gave a nod and Farrow smirked before motioning for her to follow him. As they walked towards the lush green forest, she took in their appearance more closely. Farrow was dressed in muted blues, his trench coat almost matched his hair and was frayed at the end. He wore black boots to match and a grey tail cover in spikes peaked out at the end. The girl beside him was dressed in a colorful outfit that looked rather cute on her. It had ruffles and was flower print, suiting for someone of her age.  


“By the way,” Farrow looked back at her over his right shoulder, “What’s your name? I forgot to ask it before.”  


“My name is Nyx.”  


“What no middle or last name?” He quirked an eyebrow with a playful tone in his voice and a smile to match.  


“I hate my middle name and my dad was an abusive bastard so why would I want his?” The last part was spat out with pure venom lacing it.  


“I’m sorry to hear that, being made into an experiment probably didn’t help that. So, why don’t you give yourself a middle and last name?” He asked. He felt bad about her, but he didn’t want to ask her about it, dragging up bad memories would certainly not make her like him.  


“Hmmm…” Nyx hummed as she thought. She had never really thought of taking on a new last name, she didn’t really think she’d need one. “Nyx Vexen Astaroth.”  


“Astaroth huh? I Like it. Well then, Miss Astaroth, I’m sure you’ll love the Orthrus faction.”  


“Farrow, we still haven’t introduced ourselves. I’m surprised she’s still following us,” the girl beside him pointed out.  


“I suppose you’re right. My name is Farrow Nikivor, and this girl beside me is Whisper. I am the current leader of the Orthrus faction and she is my right hand. Though don’t let her appearance fool you, she’s actually 27.”  


“You keep talking about those… Factions? what are they?” She asked. She would have questioned her appearance, but that was the least abnormal thing down here.  


“I’m so glad you asked, allow me to explain. Down here in the General Population we have split into eight different large groups known as factions. Each faction has one leader who is the strongest. I replaced the old leader about five months ago when Demolition, that’s the faction that Charles is the leader of, attacked us out of the blue. It was a massacre, many of us died. I thought he would kill everyone, but the leader of the Vector faction showed up at the last minute. You see, the Vector faction is the only faction down here known for stepping into conflicts like that. Their leader has a habit of doing so, but he’s strong enough that all he has to do is show up and people naturally back down. He’s the only reason there are still eight factions: Us, Demolition, Vector, Shadow Mirror, Kingdom Fall, Free, Amazon, and Heart. No one really knows what he looks like, his name, or even if he is a guy. Now, I haven’t really answered your question. The factions are essentially small armies that were originally created by Doctor Myrian as a way to split us up based on abilities. They used to be evenly matched, but as more people were placed down here it got out of hand. We began to kill each other and fight for dominance and territory.  


“Eventually the strongest from the original 8 factions took control of them. They were renamed and for a time it seemed like things would be peaceful. But, as it always seems to happen, one became greedy. She wanted more land for her faction. It was the Free faction if I remember correctly. They attacked the Kingdom Fall faction without warning. From then on no faction was safe. Somehow Kingdom Fall was able to beat them back and didn’t lose many in the process. Now the whole of the General Population is split up as such: Orthrus rules over the Lush Green Moore, Demolition rules over the Plains, Free rules over the Marsh, Shadow Mirror rules over the Dark lands, Heart rules over the Rolling Hills, Kingdom Fall rules over the River Lands, Amazon rules over the Tundra, and Vector rules over the Waste Land.”  


“Why are you fighting each other and not trying to escape? I’m sure there are enough of you that you could have easily escaped at any time.”  


“And go where?” Farrow looked at her over his shoulder, “most of us were abandoned, kicked out of our homes, or we ran away because we were abused. I’m sure you come from the same place.” Nyx looked down. “We may not have the best lives, and sometimes Myrian takes some of us away and we never return, but at least we get to live and do as we please. Most of us would be dead if she hadn’t taken us in.”  


Nyx fell silent. She knew he was right. Even though she wanted to escape where would she go? And with the shock collar… Wait, where was it? She rubbed her neck. It was gone. She could feel raised, raw skin where her neck had been rubbed to the point of bleeding and the shocking had left permeate scaring. She was sure it looked ugly, just like the rest of her scars. Still, even without shock collar, she knew that Myrian had more bodyguards than the two she had had with her previously and who knew how strong they were compared to her and her limited fighting experience. That brought up a question, how had she known what to do? She had never fought before and yet somehow she knew what to do when fighting Charles. It was almost like she hadn’t been in control for a moment. She shook her head, now was not the time to think about these things. She needed to focus.  


By now they had entered the Lush Green that the Orthrus faction controlled. She could hear songbirds singing and could no longer see the plains that bordered the area to the left or the Rolling Hills to the right. She had to admit, it was nice to have grass underneath her feet, even though it felt a bit different now because they were that of a dragon and not a human. The sun was warm here and she was very curious how all of these different environments could exist like this. Something rustled the bushes next to them and she glanced over as an orange tabby walked out. It had striking red eyes and upon seeing it Farrow stopped.  


“Hello Ezekiel, it’s not like you to meet us like this, is something wrong?” Farrow knelt down in front of the cat who shook its head and his eyes glowed, as did Farrow’s. They stayed like that for a few moments before their eyes stopped glowing and Farrow stood up. Ezekiel disappeared back into the bush.  


“What did Zeke want?” Whisper asked.  


“He just wanted to see the new arrival and to tell me that the ship is back.”  


“You guys have ships? Just how big is this place?” Nyx asked astounded. She hadn’t thought this place was big enough to have a body of water large enough for a ship.  


“We don’t know. The eight factions cover the whole of the land area, but beyond that lies a great sea. We send ships out for a specified number of days to see what’s out there and none of them have reached any other land. They claim to see monsters, which is funny coming from us, but they’ve never been able to catch one. It’s like this place is on another world, which would explain a lot because that hallway you came down to get here cuts off,” Farrow explained.  


“What do you mean?”  


“Well if you travel to where the land meets the sea by the enclosed hallway you find that it’s just a container that we can’t get into. It ends where the land does.”  


Well, that just created more than one question. Looks like Nyx has some investigating to do.


End file.
